John Leonard MacKean sex assault trial hears from chained teen

The alleged victim in the trial of a Halifax man who is accused of sexually assaulting the teen and keeping him chained up in a cabin for days testifies in court.

John Leonard MacKean, 64, is on trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Bridgewater with sexual assault and communicating for the purpose of obtaining sexual services from a person under 18.

The teen, who was 16 at the time of the alleged assault, is the first Crown witness to testify at the trial. He described to the court how he was lured to a cabin in Lunenburg County by David James Leblanc, 48, on the pretext of work.

He said LeBlanc offered him a drink. The teen said he felt “weird” after drinking it, then passed out. When he woke up, he said he was naked and chained to the floor of the cabin.

He said he was told a man who would pay to have sex with him was coming to visit. The boy said he was blindfolded and chained to the bed, where he was raped.

"I was out in the middle of nowhere and there was nothing I could do," he said.

During his testimony, the teen dabbed at his eyes and had difficulty maintaining his composure.

He refused a Crown request to try on a blindfold while on the stand.

The teen said his captors told him if he tried to escape, they would kill him.

"I wasn't sure if they'd try to come after my family," explaining why he has told different versions of his story in past.

The defence is expected to cross-examine the teen this afternoon.

Crown prosecutor Lloyd Tancock told jurors Tuesday in his opening statement that he will introduce DNA evidence along with text messages between the accused and another man who helped keep the youth confined in a cabin in rural Nova Scotia.

He also said they will hear the testimony of two police officers and a civilian.

MacKean was charged after a 16-year-old boy told police he was kept at a house in Upper Chelsea, Lunenburg County, for eight days in September before he managed to escape. He said he walked more than a kilometre to a home, where he sought help.

The teenager had chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles and was wearing only a hooded sweatshirt and a hat when he was found.

That sparked a manhunt for two co-accused in the case, David James Leblanc and Wayne Alan Cunningham.

Cunningham was found dead in northern Ontario during that manhunt and police ruled out foul play in his death.

Leblanc pleaded guilty to kidnapping, forcible confinement, sexual assault, uttering threats and breach of conditions and was sentenced in June to 11 years in prison.

MacKean was arrested in November 2012 at a Fredericton hotel. He was released on a $1,000 surety and conditions, including no internet or mobile access — including texting — unless it's for work purposes. He was ordered not to have contact with anyone under the age of 18, unless he or she is a relative and another adult is present.

Potential jurors were questioned in court Monday on whether they had been affected by prior publicity in the case.